Review

Before I begin, here’s a quick question for you: How many Japanese game’s developers do you know by name? I’d be willing to bet that you could probably count your answers on one hand, and that one of them would be Hideo Kojima who, thanks to the Metal Gear series can now boast “A Hideo Kojima Game” at the beginning of any new release. What’s more, this has become a virtual statement of quality, especially in the presentation department, but we wish he would stop tinkering. He's in danger of becoming gaming's George Lucas!

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence is actually the fourth MGS game on the PS2 alone and this is the gaming equivalent of a 2-disc Special Edition DVD. For you money you’ll get three discs full of Snake Eater goodness and I thought we’d cover them one at a time.

Disc 1: Subsistence. Essentially all you get on this disc is the whole of Snake Eater game with a few new tweaks. The most important one being the new third person camera view which allows you to control the camera with the right stick. You may think this is nothing really major but in practice it makes the game feel completely different and takes a while to get used to. It makes playing through it all over again a pleasurable experience.

Disc 2: Persistence. The second disc is the main reason for this release as it features the all-new online mode where you and up to seven other players can compete. As with most online PS2 titles there are some issues with getting into a game but once you do it’s brilliant and almost worth the asking price on it’s own. Elsewhere, Snake Vs Monkey is back with more levels pitting our hero against the pesky simians from Ape Escape. Any Metal Gear completists will be most interested in the inclusion of the full versions of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake which provide an insight into how the series began.

Disc 3: Existence. To some, this will be the most pointless disc in the package as there’s no interactive element. Basically, it’s the whole story of Snake Eater edited together from the cut-scenes into a three-hour movie. This is actually far better than it sounds with imaginative use of voiceover taken from the Codec conversations. Worth a look for curiosity value.

Overall, this is a very comprehensive package for any Metal Gear fan. Whether it’s worth buying if you already own MGS 3 is entirely down to personal choice. It’s still the same game and therefore, still brilliant. For me, it’s just about worth getting for the multiplayer element if you have taken your PS2 online. If you’re a Metal Gear virgin this isn't a package for you.

About the Review

Platform

Sony Playstation 2

Developer

Kojima Productions

Publisher

Konami

Released

6th October 2006